Packing Sectioning and Shipping Large Sculpture Overseas

Access Is a Design Input

A piece that cannot reach its position is worthless however good it is. Gate widths, door openings, lift dimensions, overhead cables and ground bearing for lifting plant all need checking during design, not on delivery day. Where access is tight, the piece is split at joints chosen to fall on lines of the form, trial assembled in the workshop, then marked in assembly order.

Why a Standard Crate Fails

A compound curved sculpture placed in a rectangular box bears on two points, and those two points take the whole load through the finished surface every time the crate is handled. Crates are built around the finished geometry so the load runs through the structure of the piece and foam contacts every finished face.

Protective Film Has a Shelf Life

Film left on a polished surface in a hot container can bond to it, and removing bonded film is worse than the marks it was meant to prevent. Protection is chosen for the transit time and the route, and the removal instruction ships with the piece.

Sea Freight, Air Freight and Reality

Large sculpture almost always goes by sea, and the crate has to survive weeks of handling, humidity and stacking. Air freight suits small interior pieces and urgent replacements. Either way, accurate dimensions and weights matter because a forwarder quoting from guessed figures will re-quote later.

Documents That Prevent Delays

Packing lists, dimensions, weights and clear descriptions are issued with the shipment. Sculpture sits awkwardly between artwork and manufactured goods in customs terms, and a vague description is what causes a container to sit at a port.

Photograph Everything at Dispatch

Photographs of the piece crated and uncrated are taken before it leaves. Damage discovered a month after delivery is impossible to attribute, and documented condition at handover protects both sides.

Plan the Uncrating

Have the right people and equipment on site when the crate is opened, and open it in a clean area. A sculpture removed from its crate and left standing on a live construction site collects damage it survived the whole ocean without.